Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brasil
Last week James, David and Phil went on a survey trip to Florianopolis. The main goals were to get to know the layout of the city; what areas are growing; where are there already Bible preaching churches(if any); where do the people live. The trip was a great success, THANK YOU for your PRAYERS!
There were some churches around. Catholic, of course, Mormon and one Baptist church that we believe is pentecostal in nature.

Catholic church in Sao Jose
The city of Florianopolis is divided into 2 sections. The main "attraction" is the island. This part of the city draws over 1 million tourists per year. The other part of the city is on the mainland of Brazil. This part of the city is surrounded by a suburb called Sao Jose. We really feel this is the best area for us to begin our work. This is where most Floripans live.

Sao Jose, looking to Floripa
We were able to have several realtors drive us around and show us the different areas of the city as well as give us insight into what areas are growing. We also took time to look at some real estate. We wanted to get an idea of the cost of living.
House for SaleWe looked at both rental properties and sales. We have come to the decision to rent at least to start with. That way we are fexible if God should choose to lead us to another neighborhood and it gives us time to decide how to work out the financing of a foreign purchase. We are planning to start the church in our home. Many homes here have an extra "apartment" attached to the back wall of the property. We are hoping to use this at the meeting place for the church until we are big enough to buy property.

This house did not finish the "apartment" in the back. You can see that this large open area would be great space to have services in. This is just to give you an idea of what we are looking for and praying about.
James and I are planning to make several 24 hour trips down over the next 4 months. We plan to check into schooling options as well as look for a rental property. Please pray for us to be sensitive to God's leading and to be full of wisdom. We'll keep you updated on our progress!